Does anyone have any experience using Shopify or Square from the very beginning? How easy are they to start? Which one is better for a small museum? I have things for a shop but no way of selling them in person except every couple of months when we host in-person events (it's complicated).

I’m interested in pursuing a M.A in Museum Studies. I hold a B.A and work experience in communications and advertising. I saw the USFCA program has hands-on-experience and I have some questions: 1- What kind of internships did you land? 2- Was it relevant to get a full time job after graduating? 3- What’s your work experience and education background?

P.S.: I’m trying to get a volunteer in a Museum setting before I commit to a M.A. Initially - as I also learn about the other career options - I’d like to be working with exhibitions or project management.

Hello! I am an MS student interested in biology/natural history applying for my first museum position. Would anyone be interested in reading and editing my cover letter? At the moment, it’s too long but I love all of it and am having a difficult time cutting it down. DM me directly and I can share the word doc with you by email. TIA!

How do you all run programs? Who gets to pick them? How do you feel about partners who want to implement their own public programs and then expect the museum to market them and do all the legwork because they give money or are friends with employees? Even if these programs are not of the same caliber as those proposed by curatorial?

Recently, I went to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, which proudly displays George Washington’s war tent. Given the story of the tent’s provenance, I have doubts about its authenticity, but I’m really not qualified to judge.

Anyway, it made me wonder whether there are prominent examples of a museum displaying historical memorabilia that is discovered to be fake. I know that art forgeries occasionally get hung in art museums, but I’m curious specifically about artifacts that are supposed to be associated with a historical person or event. Like “Lincoln’s top hat” or “Hitler’s car”

My organization is somewhat seriously considering switching to a new CRM. We are currently using Tessitura, but are looking to see what else is out there that might work better for us. We don’t have the giant in house IT team that Tessitura seems to be more built for…so we are looking for something that’s a lot more end-user friendly.

What do you guys have? And what do you hate about it and what do you love about it?

It is evident that if I want to work in a museum, I need an education beyond my public history masters. Textiles, collections preservation, etc. I am interning currently, but want to do more. Where can I find (online preferably) classes, courses, education to learn?

would getting an MLIS still allow me to work in collections and care? most job postings in my area ask for an MMSt but i’ve seen a few people saying that it isn’t the best option. Please help me!! thank you!

Hi, I’ve been toying with the idea of switching our comms to use a system that we can easily manage everything in one place. I’ve looked at Prowly and Muck Rack, does anyone have any experience with using these. What are the pros / cons. Or are there other better solutions?

Hi,

I volunteer with a very small regional museum. We have only one staff person and that person has no background in museums. Neither do I, so I'm hoping you good folks can help me out.

One of our board members found the institution's historical minutes literally in a drawer at our off-site storage location. They were bound in leather by decade, date back to 1906 (the year we opened as a museum), and are handwriten. She applied for and was awarded a grant to have them transcribed, which has been completed.

Here's my question: are the transcribed Minutes considered "drafts" or "finals"? The Minutes were approved at the time- does that approval apply to the transcribed ones as well?

We need these Minutes to establish ownership of land, buildings, and artifacts, which is why the question has come up.

Any advice or if you can point me in the direction of resources, I'd be deeply grateful. Thank you!

I'm a student, and was looking at primary sources for a research project. I reached out to a museum archive to look at one of their paper documents because, based off the brief explanation of the document the archive had, it seemed like it had to do with my research topic.

They sent it to me saying they didn't really know what all was in it, because it's not in English (it's an American archive) but if I let them know what it said they can add me in as a translator. So, I translated the document - and part of it (it was a collection of separate legal documents) was a document that was thought to have no surviving copies since 1882. What do I do? Maybe it's not the most important document in the world but it was an amazing find for me and for my research project.

I am an undergraduate starting a final project for my graduate Museum Theory course, and I want to study the impact of small museums on local populations, especially in sparking interest in art history. I would love to hear some of your experiences with small museums and how you've connected to them (both good and bad are welcome!). Anything is helpful, but please mention the name of the museum/society/etc so I can possibly look into it!

I think smaller institutions are criminally understudied in art history, underfunded, and understaffed, but regardless are fueled by some of the most passionate and hardworking in the field. I would like to give them their flowers :)

Is there any type of content on social media that your museum reacts to negatively (or maybe is a pet peeve of yours)?

I know museums are getting into influencer content and trying to have more outreach on social media, but I’m wondering what things museums don’t like being posted. For example, I can assume videos that show other visitors faces would be one!

What about people not associated with the museum posting their own version of an express tour in your museum? Or drawing up their own version of a map of the museum and annotating it? Basically content that is readily accessible on your website and created by people who know the museum best, should a member of the community provide their own take on things on social media?

I know there isn’t a lot of content like that out there but I’m curious what everyone’s perspective is! (And if you have a different perspective that social media isn’t helpful I’d love to hear that as well!)

I'd love to hear your stories! Paranormal, bizarre, or just plain spooky. Happy Halloween!

Hi! Does anyone have any suggestions of museums in the UK which do graduate internships? I am a recent graduate looking to get into the sector, with some volunteering and work experience already under my belt.

We got a donation of a sheepskin leather carrying case made in 194. The leather is in okay condition, some holes have been torn into the leather by a metal object stored in the pockets, but it's otherwise structurally sound. But the buckles are pretty rusty. They can't be removed without pulling out the stitching, so that's not an option. Anybody know of a good way to clean the buckles without harming the leather? The plan right now is just to clean as much as I can with a gentle q-tip rub down and then wrap them in acid-free tissue. But if there is any gentle cleaner I could use to better clean the buckles and prevent further rust, that would be great.

Hi everyone,

I'm particularly interested in how effective these marketing strategies are and how museums communicate their commitment to sustainability to the public.

I've looked into some major museums like the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. However, I’m curious if there are other notable museums setting strong examples in sustainability - especially those that might be less well-known but are using innovative approaches in this area.

I'm analyzing their current marketing approaches for museums, so any insights on methodologies, case studies, or even recommendations for enhancing their sustainability communications would be greatly appreciated.

I need to permanently display a heavy stone piece (40 lbs 30”x24”x8”). It will need to be displayed with armature mounts painted to match the stone. I have a cabinet maker/woodworker recommended but I’m worried they haven’t made something for this large of scale. Is there a resource for best practices or a formula for the counter balance of the plinth and tensile strength of the armature?

Thank you for any advice or suggestions for other solutions.

Basically the title! I'm curious to get an insight from museum professionals on, well, their profession! I know there's many different jobs that bring a museum together, like archivists and curators, but as someone who has an interest in potentially working in a museum down the line (and deciding whether or not to study museums in undergrad), i'd like to hear inputs and experiences working in the field from different people. Thanks in advance!

I'm a software engineer/IT contractor who has worked with a UK based non-profit museum for some time now. Originally I worked on just the website now and then, but I recently got them setup with proper 365 based email account (using webmail services before). They had a person who was meant to be responsible for IT systems but it is clear they didn't have the required experience to properly iplement things, so there are a bundle of things half implemented.

The museum itself has a small collection, takes bookings, has a cafe area and a small shop, and also runs workshops, and has volunteers. They have a hodge podge of different systems ranging from keeping track through email, to using a variety of wordpress plugins such as Ameila. They have a very basic POS from Sumup for dealing with the shop and tickets.

It's a bit of a mess. I'm hoping people with more experience in this area would be able to point me to some options for software. Want to bring management of things together where possible, especially away from ad-hoc spreadsheets and email work arounds. It's very small so doesn't need a huge amount, but would be nice to not be stuck in wordpress (especially with things going crazy over there at the moment). Budget is tight so ideally non-profit friendly or open source is preferred. Know of things like creative collection and exhibitera so hoped there might be more similar projects available for other areas. Want to avoid too many systems though, just for ease of upkeep.

The last thing is the IT literacy level of users is low (just trying to get them to use their email is enough of a challenge). The managment and running side is fine as I will be looking after that, but they need to at least be easy to use - most things happen from the front desk so an easy to use POS for example would be very helpful.

Thank you so much in advance!

I'm looking to make a career change and interested in museum work, but not sure where to start and whether going back to school is the best thing to try? I have a PhD in materials chemsitry followed by a number of years in the gaming industry, and now the civil service. I have a creative streak which I've never been able to fully square with my career and scientific interests, and the idea of doing something that facilitates my curiosity and storytelling, embedded in a likeminded community give me a lot of excitement. But I'm not sure which is my best route in. I'd love to work for someone like the Science Museum in London probably in curation, but I'm also open to other opportunities and subjects. Is a degree in curation/museum studies going to set me up well for job hunting with my background? Appreciate any advice, thanks :)

Just wondering if anybody’s been giving this any thought lately.

Hello everyone, as the title says I'm currently travelling (for now in Bangkok but will be in various cities in south east asia in the next year) I'm trying to find if it exists some website or app that shows all of the museums, galleries and currently running exhibitions either in big museums and cultural space or in lesser known venues. Does any one know and can suggest of such a service?

Thank you in advance!

Bachelors Degree in Gen. Studies when wanting to pursue a career in libraries, museums, or archives.

Hi there, I am currently pursuing a history bachelors degree after getting my associates degree. I’m kind of done with my current school and want to graduate ASAP to begin working on my masters in library science.

I have an opportunity to change my major to, essentially, a general studies degree. I’m not sure about the stigma around this degree in the librarian/museums world. Will it be harder for me to get a job if my bach is in gen studies?

I really got screwed over by my community college and my associates degree took 4 years. I’m tired of working on this degree. Would it be better to just tough it out for a potential “more desirable” bachelors?

TLDR: if i get a general studies bachelors degree will it be “looked down upon” in the future job search, even if I have a masters?

I work visitor services at a natural history museum and have become interested in exhibit design and fabrication. My museum has an in-house exhibit team of around 5 people who plan, build, install, and upkeep exhibits. Basically everything to do with exhibits is in house, save for a few sculptures that are outsourced. I know there are preparator jobs at a lot of art museums, but how common is it for a museum to have an entire exhibits team? I’ve become interested in pursuing the field, but realize it must be super competitive!

Hey all,

I’ve been tasked with creating my museum’s first-ever official DEAI committee. My superiors want me basically to prove to them that it’ll be worthwhile and explain the “role” of the committee in our institution.

Does anyone here have some good references or has had a hand in starting this process for their own institution?

Personally, I envision this committee working to basically self-assess all aspects of our museum and then make recommendations for change and improvement. I also would like to just see ideas for making our exhibits more diverse and interesting - especially from the outside perspective of non-history/non-museum folks. I also would absolutely love to be able to look closer at our staff policies and procedures to make sure they are disability-friendly and everything else. However, I just want to make sure I am following best practices and not asking too much or the wrong things.

For context, we are a small to mid-sized upper Midwest history museum. Pretty darn white, with a little queer and neurodivergent mixed in, but pretty much only in our front line team.

Thank you all for your ideas and suggestions in advance<3

Hey fellow museum people! My brother is about the spend the next several months in Asia and has asked me for museum recommendations. As someone who hasn’t had the chance to travel to that part of the world, I’m realizing I know very few. He’ll be in:

Japan South Korea Vietnam Laos Thailand Indonesia New Zealand Australia

He’s open to any kind of museum but is definitely interested in the unusual or unique. Hit me with your best recommendations. Thank you!

Hi i’m going to be starting as an archives volunteer at my local museum in the palaeontology department. I generally wear more “street” fashion and I never really thought that it might not be professional. I don’t have fancy cooperate clothes (and i assume that’s not needed.) Will i be alright if i just wear jeans and a t-shirt?

The museum I work for is tucked away in a very rural corner of the state. I feel that very few people are aware of our museum, even though it is dedicated to a well known American artist. While we have the largest collection of this artists work, we also have a permanent exhibit featuring work from one of his protégés who wasn’t as well known even though she created many incredible pieces all across the country. We also have rotating exhibits by local artists too.

In your experience, what are the best methods to increase awareness of a mostly out-of-the-way museum?